by Michael Thomas
( Home Page: Free Web Tutorials on Java & Web Technologies )
"Java Design Patterns" in Object-Oriented Programming are re-usable tested design solutions to a commonly occurring problems in software design that adhere to the principles of high cohesion and loose coupling.
Design Pattern Survival Guide - quick info.
Design Patterns
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_Patterns - a must visit site for design patterns.
Design Patterns: Elements of
Reusable Object-Oriented Software, Addison-Wesley, by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm,
Ralph Johnson, John Vissides.
These 4 authors are now know as the Gof ("Gang of Four").
They have identified and named 23 design patterns in this book.
My Comments: This is the authoritative book but it is some what hard to read. It is also C+ and Smalltalk based.
Java Design Patterns (A Tutorial) by James W. Cooper
My Comments: Discusses all 23 patterns and includes at least one working program example with a JFC visual interface.
Design Patterns for Dummies, Wiley Publishing, by Steve Holzner PhD.
My Comments: Good book and has source code that you can download.
Head First Design Patterns, O'Reilly, by Eric Freeman & Elisabeth Freeman
My Comments: Good book but is a little to wordy for me. No source code to download which is a negative for me. Also it is hard sometimes to figure out the actual code that implements the design pattern.